Now over thirty years old, Students of Georgetown, Inc. is a business unlike any other. Employing over two hundred students, amassing yearly revenues in excess of $3 million and annually giving back tens of thousands of dollars to the Georgetown community, today the Corp is the nation’s largest entirely student owned and operated corporation. In the last three decades, the Corp has greatly enriched Georgetown, often in ways its founders never could have envisioned.

Officially incorporated in the District of Columbia on March 6, 1972, the seeds of the Corp had been planted almost a year earlier. It was in May of 1971 that protesters angry about the Vietnam War took shelter on the Georgetown campus, leading to a stand-off between students, protesters, University administrators and the federal and local government. While that situation was ultimately resolved without major repercussions, then student body President, Roger Cochetti, and Vice President, Nancy Kent, believed that the rights of students needed to be better provided for.

Incorporation, they believed, was a viable means of doing just that. After an extensive campus-wide debate, all undergraduate students of the University were formally incorporated as “shareholders” in the non-profit Student Corporation. The Oct. 7, 1971 Hoya quoted Cochetti stating that the goal of the corporation was “to assert and protect the inherent rights of its members and the community” and to use the power available to corporations, including making contracts, borrowing money, and receiving property. The Corp was, and continues to be, completely independent of Georgetown University.

Soon after its founding, the Corp began to offer non-profit services to the campus community. In September of 1972, the Corp assumed control of the student government’s Book Co-op and opened its own Record Co-op to offer affordable solutions to students.

The following year, Corp Travel opened its door to students making plans for vacations and holiday trips. It was in business unless 2000, when online travel decreased the need for an on-campus alternative.

Also in 1973, the Furniture Co-op also opened itself as an inexpensive alternative to buying and selling furniture between students.

The first store-front to bear the Corp name was a food co-op –later named Vital Vittles – that opened in the lobby of New South in 1974. In its first incarnation, Vital Vittles sold only Coke and yogurt.

Along with such retail-oriented services, the Corp also sponsored and organized a nationally televised tennis tournament. $6000 in proceeds was donated to the Vincent Lombardi Cancer Research Center at Georgetown. In the three years of its existence, the tournament hosted international stars including Jimmy Connors and Sam Smith.

As the University has grown and changed, the Corp has, as well. In 1975, the record co-op merged with Vital Vittles and was re-named Audio Vittles. Four years later, the albums and other non-food items were taken from Vittles and put into the newly opened Saxa Sundries in the basement of Copley Residence hall.

Another service started during the Corp’s infancy, Summer Storage was founded in 1977 as a solution to the lack of storage space on Georgetown’s campus. Although the service was discontinued in 1982 because management believed it was no longer effectively serving students, student demand led to the resumption of Summer Storage in 1984. In 1990, Summer Storage expanded to provide nationwide shipping and is now known as Corp Shipping and Storage. The introduction of cheaper shipping alternatives in the area allowed the Corp management to shift its focus away from shipping and onto study abroad storage options. Corp Storage now offers storage for summer or semester terms.

Among its more unique services was Corp Typing, opened in April 1978 as an option for students seeking help typing their papers. Corp Copying was a later extension of this service, though it was shut down in 1986 after improved technology eliminated any demand.

In addition, the internal marketing department transformed itself into Corp Advertising, which opened its doors for business in 1982. For fifteen years, its pool of artists produced creative and professional artwork and graphics to serve the advertising needs of student organizations as well as those of the Corp itself. In 1997, a lack of demand led to Corp Advertising reverting back to an internal marketing department.

In 1985, the Corp opened an ice cream stand named the Cone Zone over Wisemiller’s Deli on 36th Street. However, a lack of year-round popularity forced the store to close down the following year.

As the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center grew close to its projected completion date in 1989, the Corp geared up for the most dramatic change the business had ever experienced. With rent as well as space increasing greatly, the Corp Upper Management of the late 1980s knew they were in for an exceptional challenge. In the years before the move, the Corp streamlined operations and prepared for the move that would make or break the business.

Ultimately, the growth in revenues far outweighed increased rent, and the Corp’s transition to the Leavey Center was an unqualified success. Vital Vittles, Saxa Sundries, Corp Travel and the newly opened Movie Mayhem (1989) all made the switch.

The Corp’s presence in the Leavey Center did not end with these first services. In 1994, the University solicited bids to open an on-campus coffeehouse to be located in the Leavey Center. Competing against a number of other businesses, the Corp was awarded the bid. In September, Uncommon Grounds was opened as a joint venture of the Corp and the Office of Student Affairs. While the Corp maintained complete responsibility for the management, staffing, and operations of the store, Student Affairs retains some influence over any major changes to the space.

Soon after Uncommon Grounds opened, the General Managers of Saxa Sundries and Vital Vittles decided to completely merge the two stores in hopes that such a merger would provide a more organized store. Both stores now operate under the name “Vital Vittles.”

Though no major changes occurred for a few years, the spring of 1999 inaugurated an almost unprecedented period of growth for the Corp. It was then that the Corp was approached by the Office of the Provost about the possibility of opening a coffee cart in the InterCultural Center (ICC). More Uncommon Grounds (MUG) opened in the ICC Galleria on April 26, 1999 and instantly became popular with students and professors alike. 
 
A year later, Corp Travel’s parent company terminated their relationship, and the Corp was forced to close one of the Corp’s longest-lasting services. After extensive deliberations, the Board of Directors and Upper Management of the Corp decided to open a photo development service in Corp Travel’s former location. After some initial delays, Full Exposure opened successfully in October of 2000.

The next project the Corp took on was opening a third coffeehouse, this one on the second floor of Lauinger Library. Working in concert with the library administration, the Corp opened The Midnight Mug in January 2003.

Even while The Midnight Mug celebrated its first months in operation, the Corp worked to plan the opening of yet another service, a convenience store to be located in the newly-created Southwest Quadrangle. Opened successfully on August 22, 2003, Hoya Snaxa sells primarily snack products and dorm life essentials.

The used book service has evolved into the Book Co-op, still one of the Corp’s most important services. Today, the web-based Book Co-op offers students the opportunity to buy textbooks at substantial discounts and set their own prices in selling their unneeded books.

The Corp's survival through both good and difficult times has been entirely the result of the hard work and dedication of its employees and the continuing support of the student body. Because the Corp consists of peers working with peers, communication between all corporate levels is much freer and individual opportunity is magnified. Only in the Corp can someone rise from entry level to the corporate head of such a large company in just three years, all the while maintaining an exceptional standard of service.